John Tunstall
Encyclopedia
John Henry Tunstall born in England, became a rancher and merchant in New Mexico
, where he became a prominent figure and was the first man killed in the Lincoln County War
, an economic and political conflict perhaps compounded by ethnic rivalries.
, London, England. His family was upper middle-class and he went to North America with capital to invest, earning more there by working for his father for four years in Victoria, British Columbia.
, Canada
in 1872 to work at Turner, Beeton & Tunstall, a store in which his father was a partner. Tunstall left Canada for the United States
in February 1876.
He spent six months investigating sheep ranches in California, but decided to try New Mexico
, where land was cheaper and more abundant for ranching. Soon after his arrival in Santa Fe
, he met Alexander McSween
, a lawyer who told him of the potentially big profits to be made in Lincoln County, New Mexico
. Tunstall bought a ranch on the Rio Feliz, some 30 miles (48.3 km) nearly due south of the town of Lincoln, and went into business as a cattleman. In the town he also set up a mercantile store and bank down the road from the Murphy & Dolan
mercantile and banking operation established a few years earlier by James Dolan
, Lawrence Murphy
and John H. Riley, of Irish ancestry. The Murphy-Dolan store was known colloquially as "The House." Tunstall and McSween were supported by John Chisum
, the owner of a large ranch and over 100,000 head of cattle.
Murphy and Dolan ran the town and surrounding county of Lincoln as though the area were their fiefdom. Any business transaction of consequence in the county passed through them. They controlled the court. The Sheriff of Lincoln, William J. Brady
, was theirs. Writing about the two gangster storekeepers, one Lincoln resident said, "They intimidated, oppressed, and crushed people who were obliged to deal with them." Tunstall was eager to make money in Lincoln County, too, but when he set up his store in Lincoln town and offered at least decent prices and reasonable dealings, the locals flocked to do business with him and to get out from under Murphy and Dolan.
Tunstall’s mercantile business put him into conflict with the powerful political, economic, and judicial structure that ruled New Mexico Territory. This group of men was known as the Santa Fe Ring
. Ring members included Thomas Catron (1840-1921), the boss, who was the attorney general of New Mexico. Catron owned 3000000 acres (12,140.6 km²) of land, one of the largest land holders ever in the history of the United States. Catron numbered among his colleagues the following men: William Rynerson, a district attorney, who had assassinated John P. Slough
, the Chief Justice of New Mexico, and gotten away with it; Samuel Beach Axtell
, the Territorial governor, who was fired for corruption by President Rutherford B. Hayes
; and Warren Bristol, a territorial judge, who lied on the record to protect Catron. The Attorney General's dealings included holding the mortgage on "The House." When too many of the residents of Lincoln switched their business to Tunstall’s store, Murphy-Dolan began a slide into bankruptcy and Catron’s bottom line was affected.
Murphy and Dolan tried to put Tunstall out of business, first harassing him legally, then trying to goad Tunstall into a gunfight, using hired gunmen, most of whom were members of the Jesse Evans Gang, aka "The Boys." Tunstall recruited half a dozen local small ranchers and cowboys from those who had reason to dislike Murphy and Dolan. These men worked his ranch and protected him while he tried to settle his conflict with Murphy and Dolan. One of Tunstall's employees was the 18-year-old William Bonney (aka Henry McCarty, aka William Henry Antrim, aka El Chivato, 1859 [?]- 1881), who would later be dubbed by the newspapers as "Billy the Kid
".
On 18 February 1878, Tunstall and several of his ranch hands, including William Bonney, were driving nine horses from Tunstall's ranch on the Rio Feliz to Lincoln. A posse deputized by Lincoln Sheriff Brady went to Tunstall's ranch on the Feliz to attach his cattle on a warrant that had been issued against his business partner, McSween. Finding Tunstall, his hands, and the horses gone, a sub-posse broke from the main posse and went in pursuit, although the horses were not part of any legal action. William "Billy" Morton, one of the deputies, said, "Hurry up boys, my knife is sharp and I feel like scalping someone." Evans and Tom Hill had recently broken out of jail.
Evans, Hill, Morton (and probably Frank Baker) rode ahead after Tunstall. Evans, Morton, and Hill caught Tunstall and his men a few miles from Lincoln, in a hilly area covered with scrub timber. Tunstall, the nine horses, and his hands were spread out along the narrow trail. Bonney, who was riding drag, alerted the others. The deputies began firing without warning. Tunstall's hands galloped off through the brush to a hilltop overlooking the trail. Tunstall first stayed with his horses, then rode away, but was pursued by the three deputies.
Only the three deputies survived the confrontation with Tunstall. Most historians believe that Tnstall likely surrendered. He was shot through the breast with a rifle, and someone shot him in the back of the head with a revolver. The posse faked the crime scene, removing Tunstall's gun and firing it, then arranging it near his body. This type of set-up was a common gambit in the Wild West. Not one of the Tunstall group believed the deputies' "resisting arrest" account. A third party, who was not present but heard an account from a posse member, testified to this account of summary murder.
The historian Robert Utley suggests that Tunstall may have tried to defend himself when cornered by Morton, Hill, and Evans. Joel Jacobsen notes that Tunstall died some hundred yards from his horses, suggesting the posse wanted him rather than the horses. Other evidence and testimony called into question the official story claimed by the three deputies and embraced by the Murphy-Dolan faction.
. Bonney was especially affected by the murder as Tunstall had always treated him well. Bonney is alleged to have said that Tunstall "was the only man that ever treated me like I was a free-born and white", and swore, "I'll get every son-of-a-bitch who helped kill John if it's the last thing I do."
Bonney, Richard Brewer
, Doc Scurlock, Charlie Bowdre
, George Coe
, Frank Coe
, Jim French
, Frank McNab
and other employees and friends of Tunstall's went to the Lincoln County Justice of the Peace, "Squire" John Wilson. He proved sympathetic to their cause and swore them all in as special constables to bring in Tunstall's killers. This posse was legal and led by Richard "Dick" Brewer, a well-respected ranch owner who had been Tunstall's foreman. The newly minted peace officers called themselves Regulators and went after Evans, Morton, Hill, and Baker and the others implicated in Tunstall's death. Two legally deputized posses rode at large in Lincoln at war with each other.
The Regulators tracked down and captured Morton and Baker on March 6, killing them during an alleged escape before reaching Lincoln a few days later. They said the two had killed McCloskey of the Regulators. Several other killings, committed by both the Regulators and the gunmen hired by Murphy-Dolan, followed those of Morton, Baker, and McCloskey. On April Fool's Day 1878, the Regulators killed William Brady, the sheriff of Lincoln, along with his deputy, George Hindemann. Half a dozen Regulators, including Bonney, Jim French, and Frank McNab, carried out the reprisals. Brewer was not present at the ambush. The Regulators also killed Buckshot Roberts
at Blazer's Mills, southwest of Lincoln in what is now the Mescalero Apache Reservation. Brewer was killed in the shootout there.
The war essentially ended in the July 15 through July 19, 1878 Battle of Lincoln
. Known as "The Five-Day Battle," this conflict resulted in the defeat of the Regulators' forces when the U.S. Army from nearby Fort Stanton, under the command of Colonel Nathan Dudley
, intervened in the fight despite a new federal law prohibiting the Army to enter into civilian matters. Dudley threatened the Regulators while the Dolanites strutted along Lincoln's street.
After their loss to the Dolan forces in the Five-Day Battle, the Regulators and the people who had fought with them quickly left town. Bonney remained in New Mexico, moving to Fort Sumner, New Mexico
on the border of the Texas Panhandle
near the Pecos River
. Bonney survived until July 14, 1881, when he was shot and killed at Fort Sumner by Pat Garrett
. Appointed as sheriff of Lincoln County, Garrett had been given a mandate to get rid of Billy the Kid and his gang.
collected these letters into The Life and Death of John Henry Tunstall, a bedrock work in the historiography of the Lincoln County War. Tunstall's letters reflect his ambition, biases, and youthful arrogance and high-spiritedness. They are also an invaluable record of the economic, cultural, social, and political realities of the time and place. Tunstall's gun is held by the Royal Armouries Museum in Leeds
, UK. (website www.royalarmouries.org).
by the English
actor Terence Stamp
, in the 1970 film Chisum
by veteran English actor Patric Knowles
and in the 1958 film The Left Handed Gun
by English actor Colin Keith-Johnston
. Stamp was 50, Knowles 58, and Keith-Johnston 62 years old when cast as Tunstall, who was 24 at the time of his death.
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
, where he became a prominent figure and was the first man killed in the Lincoln County War
Lincoln County War
The Lincoln County War was a 19th-century range war between two factions during the Old West period. Numerous notable figures of the American West were involved, including Billy the Kid, aka William Henry McCarty; sheriffs William Brady and Pat Garrett; cattle rancher John Chisum, lawyer and...
, an economic and political conflict perhaps compounded by ethnic rivalries.
Early life and education
John Henry Tunstall was born in HackneyLondon Borough of Hackney
The London Borough of Hackney is a London borough of North/North East London, and forms part of inner London. The local authority is Hackney London Borough Council....
, London, England. His family was upper middle-class and he went to North America with capital to invest, earning more there by working for his father for four years in Victoria, British Columbia.
Emigration and career
As a young man, he emigrated to Victoria, British ColumbiaVictoria, British Columbia
Victoria is the capital city of British Columbia, Canada and is located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of about 78,000 within the metropolitan area of Greater Victoria, which has a population of 360,063, the 15th most populous Canadian...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
in 1872 to work at Turner, Beeton & Tunstall, a store in which his father was a partner. Tunstall left Canada for the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in February 1876.
He spent six months investigating sheep ranches in California, but decided to try New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
, where land was cheaper and more abundant for ranching. Soon after his arrival in Santa Fe
Santa Fe, New Mexico
Santa Fe is the capital of the U.S. state of New Mexico. It is the fourth-largest city in the state and is the seat of . Santa Fe had a population of 67,947 in the 2010 census...
, he met Alexander McSween
Alexander McSween
Alexander McSween was a prominent figure during the Lincoln County War of the Old West, and a central character, alongside John Tunstall, opposing the "Murphy-Dolan Faction".-Early life:...
, a lawyer who told him of the potentially big profits to be made in Lincoln County, New Mexico
Lincoln County, New Mexico
-2010:Whereas according to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau:*85.1% White*0.5% Black*2.4% Native American*0.4% Asian*0.0% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander*2.5% Two or more races*9.1% Other races*29.8% Hispanic or Latino -2000:...
. Tunstall bought a ranch on the Rio Feliz, some 30 miles (48.3 km) nearly due south of the town of Lincoln, and went into business as a cattleman. In the town he also set up a mercantile store and bank down the road from the Murphy & Dolan
Lawrence Murphy
Lawrence Murphy was an Irish-American businessman of the Old West, and a main instigator of the Lincoln County War.-Early life:...
mercantile and banking operation established a few years earlier by James Dolan
James Dolan (Lincoln County War)
James Dolan was an Old West businessman, cattleman, and a key factor in the Lincoln County War, in New Mexico, which launched Billy the Kid to fame.-Early life and Murphy association:...
, Lawrence Murphy
Lawrence Murphy
Lawrence Murphy was an Irish-American businessman of the Old West, and a main instigator of the Lincoln County War.-Early life:...
and John H. Riley, of Irish ancestry. The Murphy-Dolan store was known colloquially as "The House." Tunstall and McSween were supported by John Chisum
John Chisum
John Simpson Chisum was a wealthy cattle baron in the American West in the mid-to-late 19th century. Born in Hardeman County, Tennessee, Chisum's family moved to Texas in 1837, with Chisum finding work as a building contractor...
, the owner of a large ranch and over 100,000 head of cattle.
Murphy and Dolan ran the town and surrounding county of Lincoln as though the area were their fiefdom. Any business transaction of consequence in the county passed through them. They controlled the court. The Sheriff of Lincoln, William J. Brady
William J. Brady
William J. Brady was the sheriff of Lincoln County during the Lincoln County Wars in New Mexico, United States. He was killed in an ambush, aged 48, in which Billy the Kid took part.-Early life:...
, was theirs. Writing about the two gangster storekeepers, one Lincoln resident said, "They intimidated, oppressed, and crushed people who were obliged to deal with them." Tunstall was eager to make money in Lincoln County, too, but when he set up his store in Lincoln town and offered at least decent prices and reasonable dealings, the locals flocked to do business with him and to get out from under Murphy and Dolan.
Tunstall’s mercantile business put him into conflict with the powerful political, economic, and judicial structure that ruled New Mexico Territory. This group of men was known as the Santa Fe Ring
Santa Fe Ring
The Santa Fe Ring was a group of powerful attorneys and land speculators in the United States during the late 19th century and into the early 20th century. It amassed a fortune through political corruption and fraudulent land deals. Many prominent people in New Mexico Territory including future...
. Ring members included Thomas Catron (1840-1921), the boss, who was the attorney general of New Mexico. Catron owned 3000000 acres (12,140.6 km²) of land, one of the largest land holders ever in the history of the United States. Catron numbered among his colleagues the following men: William Rynerson, a district attorney, who had assassinated John P. Slough
John P. Slough
John Potts Slough was an American politician, lawyer, Union general during the American Civil War, and Chief Justice of New Mexico. He commanded the Union forces at the Battle of Glorieta Pass.-Early life and career:Slough was born in Cincinnati, Ohio...
, the Chief Justice of New Mexico, and gotten away with it; Samuel Beach Axtell
Samuel Beach Axtell
Samuel Beach Axtell . Notable for being the most controversial Chief Justice of the New Mexico Territorial Supreme Court; corrupted administration as Governor of New Mexico; brief tenure as Governor of Utah; and two term Congressman from California.-Early life:Axtell was born in Franklin County,...
, the Territorial governor, who was fired for corruption by President Rutherford B. Hayes
Rutherford B. Hayes
Rutherford Birchard Hayes was the 19th President of the United States . As president, he oversaw the end of Reconstruction and the United States' entry into the Second Industrial Revolution...
; and Warren Bristol, a territorial judge, who lied on the record to protect Catron. The Attorney General's dealings included holding the mortgage on "The House." When too many of the residents of Lincoln switched their business to Tunstall’s store, Murphy-Dolan began a slide into bankruptcy and Catron’s bottom line was affected.
Murphy and Dolan tried to put Tunstall out of business, first harassing him legally, then trying to goad Tunstall into a gunfight, using hired gunmen, most of whom were members of the Jesse Evans Gang, aka "The Boys." Tunstall recruited half a dozen local small ranchers and cowboys from those who had reason to dislike Murphy and Dolan. These men worked his ranch and protected him while he tried to settle his conflict with Murphy and Dolan. One of Tunstall's employees was the 18-year-old William Bonney (aka Henry McCarty, aka William Henry Antrim, aka El Chivato, 1859 [?]- 1881), who would later be dubbed by the newspapers as "Billy the Kid
Billy the Kid
William H. Bonney William H. Bonney William H. Bonney (born William Henry McCarty, Jr. est. November 23, 1859 – c. July 14, 1881, better known as Billy the Kid but also known as Henry Antrim, was a 19th-century American gunman who participated in the Lincoln County War and became a frontier...
".
On 18 February 1878, Tunstall and several of his ranch hands, including William Bonney, were driving nine horses from Tunstall's ranch on the Rio Feliz to Lincoln. A posse deputized by Lincoln Sheriff Brady went to Tunstall's ranch on the Feliz to attach his cattle on a warrant that had been issued against his business partner, McSween. Finding Tunstall, his hands, and the horses gone, a sub-posse broke from the main posse and went in pursuit, although the horses were not part of any legal action. William "Billy" Morton, one of the deputies, said, "Hurry up boys, my knife is sharp and I feel like scalping someone." Evans and Tom Hill had recently broken out of jail.
Evans, Hill, Morton (and probably Frank Baker) rode ahead after Tunstall. Evans, Morton, and Hill caught Tunstall and his men a few miles from Lincoln, in a hilly area covered with scrub timber. Tunstall, the nine horses, and his hands were spread out along the narrow trail. Bonney, who was riding drag, alerted the others. The deputies began firing without warning. Tunstall's hands galloped off through the brush to a hilltop overlooking the trail. Tunstall first stayed with his horses, then rode away, but was pursued by the three deputies.
Only the three deputies survived the confrontation with Tunstall. Most historians believe that Tnstall likely surrendered. He was shot through the breast with a rifle, and someone shot him in the back of the head with a revolver. The posse faked the crime scene, removing Tunstall's gun and firing it, then arranging it near his body. This type of set-up was a common gambit in the Wild West. Not one of the Tunstall group believed the deputies' "resisting arrest" account. A third party, who was not present but heard an account from a posse member, testified to this account of summary murder.
The historian Robert Utley suggests that Tunstall may have tried to defend himself when cornered by Morton, Hill, and Evans. Joel Jacobsen notes that Tunstall died some hundred yards from his horses, suggesting the posse wanted him rather than the horses. Other evidence and testimony called into question the official story claimed by the three deputies and embraced by the Murphy-Dolan faction.
Aftermath
Tunstall's murder ignited the Lincoln County WarLincoln County War
The Lincoln County War was a 19th-century range war between two factions during the Old West period. Numerous notable figures of the American West were involved, including Billy the Kid, aka William Henry McCarty; sheriffs William Brady and Pat Garrett; cattle rancher John Chisum, lawyer and...
. Bonney was especially affected by the murder as Tunstall had always treated him well. Bonney is alleged to have said that Tunstall "was the only man that ever treated me like I was a free-born and white", and swore, "I'll get every son-of-a-bitch who helped kill John if it's the last thing I do."
Bonney, Richard Brewer
Richard Brewer
Richard M. "Dick" Brewer , was an American cowboy and outlaw. He was the first leader of what historically is referred to as Billy the Kid's band, although Billy never led them.-Early life:...
, Doc Scurlock, Charlie Bowdre
Charlie Bowdre
Charles Bowdre was an American cowboy and outlaw. He was an associate and member of Billy the Kid's gang.-Early life:...
, George Coe
George Coe (Lincoln County War)
George Washington Coe was an Old West cowboy and for a time gunman alongside Billy the Kid during the Lincoln County War.Coe was born in Missouri, and ventured to New Mexico Territory in his youth, around 1871, alongside his cousin, Frank, to work on a ranch near Fort Stanton belonging to a...
, Frank Coe
Frank Coe (Lincoln County War)
Frank Coe was an Old West cowboy and for a time gunman in the company of Billy the Kid, as a member of the Lincoln County Regulators.-Biography:...
, Jim French
Jim French
James French may refer to:* James R. French, American aerospace engineer* James French , American criminal, last Oklahoma pre-Furman execution* Jim French , New Mexican cowboy...
, Frank McNab
Frank McNab
Frank McNab was a member of the Regulators who fought on behalf of John Tunstall during the Lincoln County War.Of Scottish origin, McNab was a "cattle detective" who worked for Hunter, Evans, & Company, which was managed by New Mexico cattleman John Chisum. McNab's job was to track down those who...
and other employees and friends of Tunstall's went to the Lincoln County Justice of the Peace, "Squire" John Wilson. He proved sympathetic to their cause and swore them all in as special constables to bring in Tunstall's killers. This posse was legal and led by Richard "Dick" Brewer, a well-respected ranch owner who had been Tunstall's foreman. The newly minted peace officers called themselves Regulators and went after Evans, Morton, Hill, and Baker and the others implicated in Tunstall's death. Two legally deputized posses rode at large in Lincoln at war with each other.
The Regulators tracked down and captured Morton and Baker on March 6, killing them during an alleged escape before reaching Lincoln a few days later. They said the two had killed McCloskey of the Regulators. Several other killings, committed by both the Regulators and the gunmen hired by Murphy-Dolan, followed those of Morton, Baker, and McCloskey. On April Fool's Day 1878, the Regulators killed William Brady, the sheriff of Lincoln, along with his deputy, George Hindemann. Half a dozen Regulators, including Bonney, Jim French, and Frank McNab, carried out the reprisals. Brewer was not present at the ambush. The Regulators also killed Buckshot Roberts
Buckshot Roberts
Andrew L. "Buckshot" Roberts was an American buffalo hunter and cowboy whose last stand against the Lincoln County Regulators during the Gunfight of Blazer's Mills near Lincoln, New Mexico is a part of frontier legend....
at Blazer's Mills, southwest of Lincoln in what is now the Mescalero Apache Reservation. Brewer was killed in the shootout there.
The war essentially ended in the July 15 through July 19, 1878 Battle of Lincoln
Battle of Lincoln, New Mexico
The Battle of Lincoln in New Mexico from July 15 through July 19, 1878 was the largest armed conflict of the Lincoln County War, a now famous range war which took place in Lincoln, New Mexico. The "war" led to the notoriety of gunman Billy the Kid...
. Known as "The Five-Day Battle," this conflict resulted in the defeat of the Regulators' forces when the U.S. Army from nearby Fort Stanton, under the command of Colonel Nathan Dudley
Nathan Dudley
Nathan Augustus Monroe Dudley was a soldier who served as a Colonel of Volunteers and sometimes as an acting Brigadier General of Volunteers for the Union Army during the American Civil War.-Early military career:...
, intervened in the fight despite a new federal law prohibiting the Army to enter into civilian matters. Dudley threatened the Regulators while the Dolanites strutted along Lincoln's street.
After their loss to the Dolan forces in the Five-Day Battle, the Regulators and the people who had fought with them quickly left town. Bonney remained in New Mexico, moving to Fort Sumner, New Mexico
Fort Sumner, New Mexico
Fort Sumner is a village in De Baca County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 1,249 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of De Baca County...
on the border of the Texas Panhandle
Texas Panhandle
The Texas Panhandle is a region of the U.S. state of Texas consisting of the northernmost 26 counties in the state. The panhandle is a rectangular area bordered by New Mexico to the west and Oklahoma to the north and east...
near the Pecos River
Pecos River
The headwaters of the Pecos River are located north of Pecos, New Mexico, United States, at an elevation of over 12,000 feet on the western slope of the Sangre de Cristo mountain range in Mora County. The river flows for through the eastern portion of that state and neighboring Texas before it...
. Bonney survived until July 14, 1881, when he was shot and killed at Fort Sumner by Pat Garrett
Pat Garrett
Patrick Floyd "Pat" Garrett was an American Old West lawman, bartender, and customs agent who was best known for killing Billy the Kid...
. Appointed as sheriff of Lincoln County, Garrett had been given a mandate to get rid of Billy the Kid and his gang.
Legacy
John Tunstall lived in Lincoln for about 18 months before Morton, Hill, and Evans killed him. During his time in New Mexico, he regularly corresponded with his family in London. Frederick NolanFrederick Nolan
Frederick William Nolan is an English editor and writer, mostly known as Frederick Nolan, but also using the pen names Donald Severn, Daniel Rockfern, Christine McGuire and Frederick H. Christian....
collected these letters into The Life and Death of John Henry Tunstall, a bedrock work in the historiography of the Lincoln County War. Tunstall's letters reflect his ambition, biases, and youthful arrogance and high-spiritedness. They are also an invaluable record of the economic, cultural, social, and political realities of the time and place. Tunstall's gun is held by the Royal Armouries Museum in Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
, UK. (website www.royalarmouries.org).
Representation in other media
Tunstall was portrayed in the 1988 film Young GunsYoung Guns
Young Guns is a 1988 action/western film, directed by Christopher Cain and written by John Fusco. The film was the first to be produced by Morgan Creek Productions...
by the English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
actor Terence Stamp
Terence Stamp
Terence Henry Stamp is an English actor. Since starting his career in 1962 he has appeared in over 60 films. His title role as Billy Budd in his film debut earned Stamp an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor and a BAFTA nomination for Best Newcomer.His other major roles include...
, in the 1970 film Chisum
Chisum
Chisum is a 1970 Warner Bros. Technicolor western motion picture starring John Wayne, Forrest Tucker, Christopher George, Ben Johnson, Glenn Corbett, Geoffrey Deuel, Andrew Prine, Bruce Cabot, Patric Knowles, and Richard Jaeckel....
by veteran English actor Patric Knowles
Patric Knowles
Reginald Lawrence Knowles was an English film actor who renamed himself Patric Knowles, a name which reflects his Irish descent. He appeared in films of the 1930s through the 1970s...
and in the 1958 film The Left Handed Gun
The Left Handed Gun
The Left Handed Gun is a 1958 American western film and the film directorial debut of Arthur Penn, starring Paul Newman as Billy the Kid and John Dehner as Pat Garrett...
by English actor Colin Keith-Johnston
Colin Keith-Johnston
Colin Keith-Johnston was a British actor. As well as film appearances, he appeared onstage as Stanhope in the first production of Journey's End in the United States.-Partial filmography:* Somehow Good...
. Stamp was 50, Knowles 58, and Keith-Johnston 62 years old when cast as Tunstall, who was 24 at the time of his death.